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In a wide-ranging interview, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz rules out strikes against Iran and raises doubts about whether Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has what it takes to forge a permanent peace.

Mofaz believes the best way to deal with Iran is through diplomacy

Haraz N. Ghanbari / AP
Mofaz believes the best way to deal with Iran is through diplomacy

WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Michael Hirsh
Newsweek
Updated: 6:54 p.m. ET Nov. 3, 2005
Nov. 3, 2005 - Shaul Mofaz is a tough Likudnik, but he’s also shown a pragmatic willingness to negotiate with his enemies. The Israeli defense minister was born in Tehran, and he believes diplomacy can still work despite Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s call last week for Israel to be “wiped off the map.” Mofaz has forged a deep working relationship with younger Palestinian leaders such as Mohammed Dahlan, the Palestinian civil-affairs minister and security chief for Gaza. And Mofaz suggests that real peace will have to await their ascension to the president's office. As the man responsible for implementing the Gaza disengagement plan, Mofaz also met last week with President Hosni Mubarak, along with Egypt’s defense minister and intelligence chief, forging a previously unreported agreement on regional security. This week he is in Washington to meet senior U.S. officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. On Wednesday he sat down for an interview in his suite at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel with NEWSWEEK’s Michael Hirsh. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: Let’s talk about Iran. This is a very personal issue for you in some ways. I understand you were born in the same city, Tehran, as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president.
Shaul Mofaz: Yes, I was born in Tehran, and I came to Israel when I was 9 years old, in 1957 … I can tell you that what Ahmadinejad said about erasing the state of Israel from the map, [combined with Iran’s] surface-to-surface missiles and the fact that they have a high desire for achieving nuclear power, is a real threat against the state of Israel but also against all the Western countries. Under the nuclear umbrella in the future [Iran] will be a threat to all the world.

As a person who knows Iranian culture, what do you think is going on inside the Iranian regime? Do you think Ahmadinejad was speaking for the Iranian government, and that his views represent a new level of extremism for the regime? Or were his comments to a group of anti-Zionist students just an indiscretion on his part?
It is a new level of extremism in the regime. I'm not sure what it reflects for the population. I know there is a gap between the Iranian people and the regime ... I believe for the time being the diplomatic channel is the main one, and the United States along with the European countries should put this on the table of the U.N. Security Council, to talk about sanctions and a very deep and large inspection of all Iran’s nuclear locations.

Are you concerned that the Iranian game is to draw out the negotiations so they can get to the point where their nuclear program is advanced enough and dug deeply enough into tunnels that there is no longer any military option against it?
Well, a military option is not on the agenda today.

Today?
It’s not on the agenda. But … we know that the Iranians are supporting and harboring terror. They support Islamic Jihad, they support other terrorist organizations, including Hizbullah. Remember the Karin A, the ship we captured in January 2002. That occurred after [the late Palestinian President Yasir] Arafat met with representatives of Iran, and they produced a special line of armaments for the Palestinians. The goal was to send 50 tons of arms to the hands of the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinians promised the Iranians in return they would give them security for Iranian terror groups coming to Israel. This was the deal. We were very lucky to expose it. But I believe. as I said, that this type of threat can be brought to the Security Council with the leadership of the United States and the European countries.

But Iranian support of Hizbullah and other groups is not the main focus of that diplomatic effort. The diplomacy is focused almost entirely on the nuclear issue. Do you have any leverage over the Iranians against their alleged support for terrorist groups other than rhetoric?
The main threat is the nuclear … But speaking about the support for Hizbullah, there is another side too: Syria. They support Hizbullah financially, and they are not allowing the Lebanese Army to come to the south of Lebanon to deal with security there.

Clearly there are a lot of reasons to be skeptical about whether the European-led negotiations with Tehran can forge a solution. Is that really the only option? Is there no military leverage at all?
I believe today we should make the best effort in the diplomatic channel. And there is a chance that by putting pressure on Iran, a decision in the U.N. Security Council [will] delay or stop an Iranian nuclear capability.

Is it really satisfactory to you to merely delay the Iranian nuclear program when you see this as an existential threat to Israel?
I believe we should make our best effort to achieve the maximum we could achieve by diplomatic channels, before thinking about other channels.

But what would satisfy your security concerns?
What would satisfy us is that the Iranians do not reach a point of no return in enriching uranium.

But right now they’ve converted quite a bit of yellowcake into UF-6 [the feedstock for enrichment]—some 30 tons—and are upgrading their Natanz enrichment facility.
We have a few years until they reach this point [enrichment], and I hope the diplomatic effort will delay this.

Some analysts have concluded that the Israelis don’t have a military option any longer—as you once did against Iraq’s Osirik reactor—because the Iranian program is too complex, too spread out, and dug in too deep.
I’m telling you that a military option is not on the table now.

Regarding the disengagement from Gaza, there are deep concerns about the rising power of Hamas and whether they’re re-equipping, and infiltration over the open border with Egypt. Just last week it was revealed that two Palestinians were captured coming across the Negev Desert into the West Bank. How concerned are you about this and Mahmoud Abbas’s ability to deal with all this?
The disengagement was so rapid that they [the Egyptians] couldn’t prepare themselves for responsibility in this area. But since they took responsibility for the Philadelphi corridor [on the border between Gaza and Egypt], the amount of smuggling has decreased. There are still some measures they need to be taking, but the deployment of border guards is effective. And they are stopping the smuggling of arms and people from one side to the other. But still they have to do more.
Is there intelligence cooperation?
Well, mainly there is cooperation between two central operational “rooms” on the Egyptian and Israeli sides.

The fact that you caught these two guys coming in from the Negev—is that evidence that you’re sharing operational intelligence with the Egyptians? Or did you just get lucky?
We understood a year ago that area of the Israeli-Egyptian border between Karem Shalom to Eilat, we don’t have a fence. So we needed to operate in a different way. We have more troops in this area, we are going to have a lot of sensors and devices to make sure we will see the picture and have intelligence. So we are becoming more effective.

So I gather that you don’t see a need to put a lot more pressure on the Egyptians on this issue?
I was in Egypt last week. I had a meeting with President Mubarak, the defense minister and the minister of intelligence. We decided they will increase their activity along the Philadelphi area, the two operational rooms will start to coordinate their activity along the border, and they should deploy patrol boats … And they promised me they would be more effective in the coming period. Also we decided we would be more cooperative on other issues [including] global terror.

On the Roadmap [plan for peace], are the U.S. and Israel in complete agreement that the next moves have to come from President Abbas, or Abu Mazen, as he is also called?
The implementation of the withdrawal plan was very painful, very difficult, but very bold step for Israel. We think that today it is the Palestinian turn to take action. We should move forward on the first phase of the Roadmap plan and President Bush’s vision. The first phase is the dismantlement of the terrorist infrastructure. … But there is no move on the Palestinian side since the declaration of Abu Mazen in the Sharm al-Sheikh summit on Feb. 8, in which he said he would create one authority, one rule, under one gun. And still there is no one gun. More than that, our feeling is that Abu Mazen’s intentions are good, to move forward, but there is a vacuum of leadership under him. There are some [views] among the Palestinian leadership that it is not our problem, it is Abu Mazen’s problem … The Palestinian security groups are not effective. They are not taking any active steps against the Palestinian terror groups, there is no one man that is controlling all Palestinian security, and there is a lack of chain of command and control of Palestinian security groups.

What is very important is that the election of the Palestinian Parliament will take place on Jan. 25. Everybody knows that Hamas intends to participate in this election, and we believe that a terror organization that is committed to the destruction of Israel cannot be part of this election. We will not interfere … but on the other side we are not going to support it.

Weren’t you quoted as saying that peace will take a generation to achieve?
No, I said that Abu Mazen has good intentions but there is a lack of activity in Palestinian security groups and they are not united under one man. So I said for a permanent agreement [to be achieved], it will be the next generation of the leadership—which exists today. They are waiting for the day after Abu Mazen. I don’t want to mention names … Abu Mazen is doing his best, but he doesn’t have the support among the other leaders of the Palestinian people.

Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz, born in Iran in 1948, is married with four children. He immigrated to Israel in 1957. In 1966 he joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and as a paratrooper, in the Six-Day War he fought in the Negev. He then filled command positions in the Paratroop Brigade. He commanded the Paratroop Reconnaissance Unit and a paratroop battalion, served as a Deputy Paratroop Brigade Commander, and commanded the Paratroop Brigade. During the 1982 Operation Peace for Galilee, he was an infantry brigade commander. He received a BA in business administration from Bar-Ilan University and attended the Command and Staff College of the US Marine Corps. Subsequently he served as the Commander of IDF Officers School.

1986-88 Commander of the Paratroop Brigade
1988 Promoted to Brigadier-General
1988-90 Held senior position in Ground Corps Command
1990-92 Commander of the Galilee Formation
1993-94 Officer Commanding IDF forces in Judea and Samaria
1994 Promoted to Major-General
1994-96 G.O.C. Southern Command
1996-97 Chief of Planning Branch of the General Staff
1997 Deputy Chief of General Staff and Chief of General Staff Branch (J-3)
1998-2002 Became sixteenth Chief of General Staff

In November 2002, Shaul Mofaz was appointed Minister of Defense. He is married with four children.

Lieutenant-General (res.) Shaul Mofaz, was born in Iran in 1948 and immigrated to Israel in 1957.

In 1966 he joined the IDF, and as a paratrooper in the Six-Day War he fought in the Negev. He then filled command positions in the Paratroop Brigade. He commanded the Paratroop Reconnaissance Unit and a paratroop battalion, served as a Deputy Paratroop Brigade Commander, and commanded the Paratroop Brigade. During the 1982 Operation Peace for Galilee, he was an infantry brigade commander.

Mofaz received a BA in business administration from Bar-Ilan University and attended the Command and Staff College of the US Marine Corps. Subsequently he served as the Commander of IDF Officers School.

1986-1988 Commander of the Paratroop Brigade
1988 Promoted to Brigadier-General
1988-1990 Held senior position in Ground Corps Command
1990-1992 Commander of the Galilee Formation
1993-1994 Officer Commanding IDF forces in Judea and Samaria
1994 Promoted to Major-General
1994-1996 G.O.C. Southern Command
1996-1997 Chief of Planning Branch of the General Staff
1997 Deputy Chief of General Staff and Chief of General Staff Branch
1998-2002 16th Chief of General Staff

In November 2002, Shaul Mofaz was appointed Minister of Defense, and was reappointed to this post upon the formation of the new government in February 2003.

As I witness today not simply the condemnation of Antar's rhetoric, but the considerable restraint shown by nation's threatened by those remarks (which in times past would have be provacation enough for immediate hostilities to ensue), it has reinforced the Iranian opposition's call for free nation's support for the democratization of Iran, and a more civilized government that is able to move Iran into a 21st century mindset.

Key to this becoming manifest is Iranian people's realization that this regime currently represents the greatest threat to the Iran nation, not the US, not Israel, but that it is the regime that has placed their peace in jepordy, not to mention any and all progress forward into the modern era.

Among the actions that the Likkud party considers diplomacy is supporting complete regime changes.

So what that interview may mean is that Mofaz is simply really confident that there will be a rebellion against the Islamist Regime.

Either way it is good news.

The Likkud party did consider backing the Kurds in Northern Iraq a diplomatic operation, infact that is what the Likkudnics call it today still.

Is he for real?? when he says "diplomacy can still work"
It sounds more like one of EU's....what the heck is he talking about?/
He should be saying I support Iranians aspirtion for self determination and a free country as oppose to a dictatorship they are under... I am very diappointed in Mofaz....

Tell that to Antar. Methinks he's going to push the west to war, so the IRI can say it was "attacked" and play "victim" once again......the restraint shone is simply as a result of this realization, and the denial of the teptation to do give Antar what he wants.

Now we shall see if Antar tries to create a scenario wherein he creates a situation that looks for all intents and purposes as if the IRI had just been attacked.....since he's activelu recruiting martyrs, what would he care if he leveled an Iranian city (martyring it's citizens in the process) if it could be made to look like the West was responsible?

Does anyone here think this is too far fetched?

Let's start with the taking over of the Brit embassy, and all other EU embassies...the withdrawl of Iranian ambassadors may be a precurser.

Think this is over the top? Think again.

Think there's a rift in the IRI between hardliners and "moderates"....think again....they're all in cahoots with the 12th imman, that illusory one in the bottom of a well....methinks Antar is hearing voices just like "Son of Sam".....

The fellow who went around killing folks because he was a bit confused thinking his dog was God,,,and was taking instructions from fido.

it will be a disaster if israel has to carry an attack on Iran. there are so many Iranian jews with Israel as their second country, and so many Israeli Iranins with Iran their birth place and love of their life to this day.

if worst comes to worst and there has to be an attack, let the BRITS carry it this time. stop doing Brits dirty work, and kill Americans and Israelis and Iranians to clean up what is mainly EU & UK's Mess! ayatollahs khomeini was a british agent, and no one can deny it. why are you buying all the hatred for yourself and letting the brits and EU get away with historic ties with ayatollahs and creating the mess of khomeinism?

brits have always been hated by iranians for their colonialist fascism in Iran and using clerics to carry on policies against our country.

on the other hand Iranian nation has always wished to be close to U.S and never had a problem with Israel, as well as having commonn history with the jews. always.

Let EU / UK clean up their mess.

for God's sake, find out about khomeini being on British payroll in Najaf and let the hizbollah followers and blind suicide bombers KNOW THAT FACT ABOUT THE AYATOLLAH!

dying for the brits to get rich and stay clean of all their crimes is not real policy! Enough Americans and Israelis have died already for EU to get rich.

STOP IT NOW. GET SMART WITH THE BRITS/ EU . ABOUT TIME!_________________Paayande Iran

While American and Israeli leaders vow that all options remain on the table in dealing with Iran's race to acquire nuclear weapons, it seems that all options are being kept open on the desktop as well. The Foreign Ministry unveiled a Persian-language version of its Web site on Monday that it hopes will speak "above the heads" of the regime in Teheran, directly to Iran's younger generation.

The site is part of diplomatic efforts to educate the Iranian people about the Jewish state, "who have been purposely distanced from information about Israel, and fed lies and hatred by the Iranian regime." The site, called Hamdami ("clarity" in Persian), can be found at https://hamdami.com.

The site was the brainchild of Israel's ambassador in Dublin, Dr. Zion Avroni during his tenure as head of policy planning at the foreign ministry.

The site is managed by the department of Arab communications in the ministry's public diplomacy division. Menashe Amir, the former director of Israel Radio's Persian service, is its editor-in-chief, supervising a small staff who will translate content into Persian, as well as answer questions from readers and provide on-line feedback.

Amir told The Jerusalem Post his team was expecting a great deal of such feedback. "Studies show that over 60 percent of the Iranian population is under 40 years of age, and that the number of Web surfers is somewhere around 11 million out of a population of 70 million. So the Internet is now the most effective means of communication to the Iranian people," he said.

The ministry has versions of its site in Hebrew, Arabic and English. The Arabic site receives a large volume of feedback ranging from requests for information from students and researchers, to requests for immigration information, asylum and employment, as well as encouragement and of course, vicious slurs. The sites are frequently attacked by hackers. All of the ministry's sites are subjected to constant cyberspace attacks, even more so than the other Israel government Web sites, a Foreign Ministry representative told the Post.

The Persian-language site is expected to come under particularly vicious cyber-attacks, as the Iranian regime sees the Internet as a potent threat to its hold on power and is particularly worried about the spread of Western influence through the Internet, especially when it comes to culture and religion.

"Iran's regime actively fights against the spread of Internet freedom in Iran, and we have taken this into account," a ministry representative said, adding that the ministry had a department that combated, "in a Sisyphean manner," attacks on Israeli government cyber assets.

Welcome the above wise decision and statement of Israelis Leadership as positive steps in right direction and appreciate the fact that Israelis Leadership accepted to differentiate Iranian people from TAAZI Mafia Mullahs ruling class.

ActivistChat wrote:

The ethics of life are the pursuit of awareness about truth for ourselves and others. The ultimate goal is total awareness by increasing public awareness about the truth .

"Crush not even the tiny ant that beareth a grain of corn, for she hath life, and sweet life is a boon."
From The Epic of Kings Masterpiece By Ferdowsi (935-1020) the world famous Persian (Iranian) poet.
Who Is a Taazi?
Being a Taazi is a frame of mind. Being a Taazi is a reflection of one's heart. Genetics have nothing to do with it. One is not born a Taazi by race or place of birth. One becomes a Taazi by choice.
A Taazi is someone who holds the nomadic Bedouin way of life and code of ethics above that of common human decency. A Taazi is someone who is willing to die and kill in the name of Allah. A Taazi is someone who has turned a deaf ear to his own heart and only listens to the call of hate and violence. A Taazi is someone who feels compelled to carry the Bedouin Barbarian Bylaws to ever-expanding spheres of servitude.

Islamic Barbarian Theocracy: Invaders and Occupiers of Iran Refer To It As TAAZI:
The name Islamic Republic of Iran is a misnomer. There is nothing Iranian about this regime, and these terrorists should not be allowed to use the word "Iran" to describe their regime. From now on, we the people refuse to refer to this illegitimate, tyrannical, barbaric, immoral, and foreign occupying force as "IRI," and will simply refer to it as the Islamic Republic, which is the epitome of all that is Taazi. The best examples of traitor-Taazis are the pro-Islamic Republic Taazis.

Activistchat are members of the civilized freedom-loving people of the world protest and are demanding from responsible journalists, writers, scholars and free world leaders to be fair with understanding about truth by differentiating Iranian people from TAAZI ruling class. Call urgently to refer to Iran and Iranian people correctly in their statements, News Reports headline, articles and recognize the following facts:
- Iranian is a culture.
- Iranian people should be considered as hostages and prisoners of TAAZI Islamofascist Clerical Regime without any control over the key decisions and their own destination.
- Iran has lost her Sovereignty as nation in past 27 years under Taazi occupation.
- " Iran Says" in the News report must be changed to "TAAZI Says"
- President-elect Ahmadinejad in News report must be changed to "TAAZI President Ahmadinejad" or "TAAZI President-thug Ahmadinejad"
- Iran's Foreign Minister, in News report must be changed to TAAZI Foreign Minister .
- Freedom-loving Iranian people are considering the TAAZI Islamofascist as illegitimate system.
- Iranian people are declaring any contracts with the TAAZI Islamofascist as illegitimate and it is subject to review after Iran becomes FREE nation.
- Freedom-loving Iranian people are declaring the TAAZI as Terror/Torture Masters and ask the FREE world not to negotiate with Terrorists and Hostage Takers.
- Freedom-loving Iranian people are declaring the TAAZI Islamofascist Clerics and their TAAZI Supporters as a small minority and the Virus of Iranian Society.
- Freedom-loving Iranian People condemn wasted 20 Billion Dollars TAAZI Islamofascist Nuclear adventures that are not peaceful and is used by the TAAZI Mad Mullahs, TAAZI Revolutionary Guard, Terror and Torture Masters as an instrument for taking the Iranian people and world as their hostages.

"To sin by silence, when we should protest, Makes cowards out of men." Ella Wheeler Wilcox (November 5, 1850 -- October 30, 1919)

"Human beings are all members of one body.
They are created from the same essence.
When one member is in pain,
The others cannot rest.
If you do not care about the pain of others,
You do not deserve to be called a human being."
A Quote from Famous Persian Poet Saadi Shirazi
( 13th century Persian poet, from Shiraz the birthplace of Ms. Zahra Kazemi)

ActivistChat wrote:

ActivistChat 2007 Guideline Framework And Vision Of Future

1. Cyrus the Great (585-529 BC), is the founding father of Persia. ActivistChat members admire Cyrus The Great as the greatest liberator of all time for defining the First Declaration of Human Rights over 2500 years ago and the humane treatment of vast empire he ruled. Professor Richard Frye of Harvard University said; "Surely the concept of One World, the fusion of Peoples and Cultures into oneness was one of his important legacies".

2. Ferdowsi is the father of Iranian Renaissance, neo-Iranian cultural awareness, and the Shahnameh is credited with the revival of Iranian identity.

3. Being Iranian is defined by a state of mind, not by a place of residence. The barbaric Islamist mullahs and their mercenaries presently ruling Iran are not Iranians and currently Iran is under occupation of Islamic Fascists. Iranians are proud spiritual descendants of King Cyrus the Great, the author of the first charter of the human rights. Some of Cyrus’ children live in the patch of land called Iran. The overwhelming majority—free humans with human beliefs—live in every country, city, and village of the earth.

4. Our unity, position and expectation from others are defined and evaluated with new set of rules and test cases as guidance in search of truth:
a- Have a secular democracy purpose b- Have a Human Rights purpose
c- Have a Free Society purpose d- Have a primary effect to increase freedom at global level.
e- Have the element of War Of Ideas to expand public awareness, education and expansion of truth.

5. Our vision of Greater Middle East is based on Cyrus The Great Unity vision and referred as CU. In the past 2500 years of the history of Greater Middle East the only time that we have seen relative peace and prosperity was during Cyrus The Great and Achaemenid Empire era and some of the worst bloodshed happened after creation of Islam 1400 years ago. The Iranians regarded Cyrus The Great as The Father, the Babylonians as The Liberator, the Greeks as the Law-Giver, and the Jews as the Anointed of the Lord. Reject any Religious, Ethnic cleansing and religious parties for creating division and partition.

6. The "War on Terror" which is a subset of "War on Taazi" UNWINNABLE and the world peace can not be achieved as long as the Unelected Taazi Islamists Terror and Torture Masters are in power in Iran. The TAAZI terror state and fear society can not create peace and stability.
To avoid War or Nuclear war or another disaster like Chernobyl nuclear disaster 20 years ago , ( Animation of Nuclear Bunker Buster: Destructive impact on civilian population in Iran and beyond )
our message to Iranian people inside Iran: General Strike Now, our message to Security Forces (Police, Pasdaran and Military) must act now for regime change and replacing it with Free society and Secular Democracy. The Iranian people have already spoken by boycotting Elections. The Armed forces must choose between defending and serving the people or serving Mullahs. This is up to armed and security forces to choose between SHAME and HONOR, serving Mullahs or their Sisters, Brothers, Fathers & Mothers who pay their salary.
To avoid war Iranian people of all ages do not have any choice other than be prepared to fight to free their homeland from Viruses of Iranian society whether the armed forces serve them or serve the enemy of freedom and free society. Iranian people should be prepared for final battle for freeing their homeland from TAAZI and must not forget that their FOREVER leader Cyrus the Great died in battlefield in 530 BC at the age of 60 and not in bed.

7. Iranian people can decide about Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Research and Atomic Bomb after the regime change when they have established stable secular democracy and FREE society until then Iran should avoid any kind of Nuclear research program, resulting to acquire Atomic Bomb, under Islamist Taazi occupation and control.

8. Territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Iran.

9. Complete separation of religion from the State.

10. Acceptance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

11. Free, open and democratic referendum to elect the type of the new Government of Iran in the post-IRI era.

12. Work within high standard of code of ethics not to fight with other political groups or fellow FREE Iran Activists unless they are violating one of the key principles or moving against the concept of Free Society and secular democracy.

13. We are Free Iran Activists and Watch Group monitoring high government officials, Journalists , writers and scholars words and their actions based on the following direction from James Madison:
"If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men! over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions. "
The Federalist No. 51 (James Madison).

14. Support and promote people, groups and leadership who are making positive contributions for Human Rights, Regime Change in Iran, Free
Iran, Free Society and Secular democracy from progressive Center, Right and Left.